Hubert Davis raves about play of D’Marco Dunn vs. Louisville, calls for consistency

North Carolina has been looking for some productive depth this season and may have found someone in sophomore D’Marco Dunn. Head coach Hubert Davis was able to deploy the guard over the weekend, with the Tar Heels facing off against ACC bottom dwellers, Louisville.

Dunn played the best game of his college career, by far, having 14 points and five rebounds. Davis has been waiting for this kind of performance, which he considered a consistent one.

Playing at a high level for spurts is one thing. Getting 26 minutes in “Gear Five” is how you earn more playing time moving forward.

“He was good,” Davis said multiple times. “The one thing that I get on him about is — get it to Gear Five and keep it in Gear Five. I think he’s so talented. I think sometimes he puts it in cruise control. But when he puts in in Gear Five and plays defense and from an offensive standpoint, does it with pace — I already think he’s really good but I think he’s special.”

Davis broke down where Dunn performed well, crediting both the offensive and defensive effort. He was guarding Louisville star El Ellis at times on Saturday, limiting him from having a monster performance. Even in a blowout 21-point win for North Carolina, that kind of effort is huge.

“Today, he played with pace on both ends of the floor,” Davis said. “Ellis, he was on track to have a huge night. “(Dunn) comes in there and not only did (Ellis) not score, (Dunn) didn’t put him on the free throw line.

“And then on the offensive end, (Dunn) attacked the offensive glass, got second chance opportunities, knocked down big threes. I mean, he was good, really good.”

Ellis finished with 22 points on just six of 16 shooting. He got to the free throw line nine times, making all of his shots from the charity stripe. While it was an overall solid day for Ellis, Davis is happy with how Dunn defended against him.

North Carolina will see the schedule pick up in the near future, playing in some crucial ACC games. Dunn is somebody who could step up at certain points, especially if he can stay in fifth gear.